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Karen Bennett-Clayton

Partner

Queen’s Marque
600-1741 Lower Water Street
Halifax, N.S.
B3J 0J2

+1.902.420.3377

+1.902.496.6181

kbennettclayton@stewartmckelvey.com

LinkedIn Profile

Language(s) spoken: English

Bar Admission(s): Nova Scotia, 2001

Legal Assistant(s): Kristen Petrikowski

Providing legal services through a professional corporation.

Karen works with her clients on a range of issues, including defending professional liability claims, third party liability claims, breach of contract claims, and defamation claims, as well as providing advice on media law issues, specifically online defamation and reputation issues.

Notable decisions Karen has been involved in include:

  • Sorenson v. Swinemar – 2020 NSCA 62 – 2020-10-02
  • Y. v. Swinemar, 2020 NSCA 56 – 2020-09-04
  • Y v. Swinemar, 2020 NSSC 225 – 2020-08-14
  • Delano v. Gendron, 2019 NSCA 32 – 2019-04-26
  • Capital District Health Authority v. Murray, 2017 NSCA 28 – 2017-04-13
  • Bruce v. Munroe, 2016 NSSC 341 – 2016-12-20
  • Linden Estate v CUMIS Life Insurance Company, 2015 NSCA 20
  • Linden Estate v CUMIS Life Insurance Company, 2014 NSSC 115
  • Sable Mary Seismic Inc. v Geophysical Service Inc. 2012 NSCA 33
  • McIntosh v Isaac Walton Killam-Grace Health Centre 2011 NSSC 260
  • McKeough v Miller 2009 NSCC 394
  • Sable Mary Seismic Inc. v Geophysical Service Inc. 2008 NSCA 83

Practice Areas

Education

Health

Immigration

Insurance

Litigation & Alternative Dispute Resolution

Media, Advertising & Marketing

Education & Career

Education

Brunel University, London, England, LLB (honours), 1999
Dalhousie University, BA, 1991

Activities

Co-chair, Stewart McKelvey students committee, 2016 – 2018
Member, Stewart McKelvey students committee, 2014 – 2018
Member, Ad Idem, Canadian Media Lawyers Association, 2001 – present
Chair, Citizenship & Immigration Law Section, Canadian Bar Association, 2005 – 2007
Vice-chair, Citizenship & Immigration Law Section, Canadian Bar Association, 2004 – 2005
Part-time lecturer, Civil Trial Practice, Dalhousie Law School, 2006
Board member, Ronald McDonald House Atlantic, 2013 – 2017
Board member, Capital Health Research Ethics Board, 2015 – 2017
Mentor, Dalhousie Women and the Law Mentorship Program
Mentor, Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Mentorship Program
Member, Nova Scotia Medical-Legal Society

Accolades

Benchmark Canada, local litigation star (Defamation, Media and Entertainment), 2015 – 2016
Benchmark Canada, local litigation star (Defamation, Media, Entertainment, Professional Liability), 2017 – 2022
Lexpert rating: Medical Negligence,  2016 – 2024

Publications

Presentations

Presenter, “Virtual Health Care: Practical Implications”, Canadian Bar Association Health Law Summit – Critical Issues in Canadian Health Law, May 2023

Panelist on Immigration in the Context of P3 Projects, “Private Players in Public Infrastructure: Construction in the P3 Context”, Canadian Bar Association Construction and Infrastructure Law Conference, October 2018

Co-presenter, “Journalism and the Law (how to write the story without getting sued)”, Atlantic Journalism Awards Workshop, April 2018

Presenter, “Immigration Update – Key Opportunities and Risks for Employers”, Stewart McKelvey In-House Counsel Professional Development Day, April 2017

Presenter, “Point of Impact: The Intersection of Claims and Technology”, Canadian Independent Adjusters Association Annual Conference, September 2016

Presenter, “Documentation Through the Legal Lens”, Labrador Grenfell Health Nursing Webinar, May 2016

Panelist, “Jurisdictional and Choice of Law Issues”, Canadian Media Lawyers Association annual conference, November 2015

Presenter, “Risk Management – Paramedic Litigation in Nova Scotia”, Cape Breton Paramedic Conference, September 2014

Presenter, “Complying with the new Personal Health Information Act“, Stewart McKelvey In-House Counsel Professional Development Day, April 2014

Presenter, “Social Media in the Workplace”, Women in Leadership Conference, May 2013

Presenter, “Dealing with Social Media Issues: A Day in the Life of Stews News”, Stewart McKelvey In-House Counsel Professional Development Day, September 2012

Presenter, E&O Loss Control Seminar, Insurance Brokers Association of Nova Scotia (IBANS), October 2010

Presenter, “Commercial Host Liability”, Nova Scotia Insurance Women’s Association (NSIWA), November 2008

 
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